The Time
by 27vampyresinhermind
Summary: He wasn't prepared for this conversation, but it was way overdue.  No use in not talking now.  Quick friendship featuring Puckleberry relationship. One-shot!  Read and enjoy!


**a/n: Okay, are you tired of me yet? Yes, this is Quick but I have to stress that it is Quick FRIENDSHIP, that's all. So put your torches away. Much like my Klainofskyberryman (hehe remember that mouthful?), the idea for this fic got into my head and wouldn't leave me alone. I wrote this and 'You Can't Let Go' both in a couple of hours so that's why they're both pretty short but I like them that way. And also, like with anything I write, Puckleberry makes its appearance in this fic so don't worry. I want to thank you again for the support you give me. It means so much to me. I don't own Glee…**

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><p>He couldn't figure out why Quinn had asked to meet him in the park. Aside from snide comments, she'd barely said two words to him since popping Beth out over a year ago. She never acted like she had anything else to say to him.<p>

When he sat down on the park bench, he thought for a second that she'd stood him up. Wouldn't have been a surprise though. A couple minutes passed and he saw her walking down the sidewalk. They didn't say anything, she just sat down beside him on the bench, carefully putting a few inches of space between them. Puck looked at her and noticed that her cheeks were a little puffy, like she'd been crying.

"I bet you're wondering why I asked you to meet me here." Puck wanted to make a smartass comment but figured it wasn't the time.

"Yeah I am." Just then, a woman with a jogging stroller ran past. Both Puck and Quinn tensed. He heard her blow out a shaky breath and turned just in time to see a single tear roll down her cheek.

"Do you ever think about her? About what she would look like now?" Oh, so that's why she asked him here.

"Every damn day." Fuck he wasn't prepared for this conversation, but it was way overdue. No use in not talking now. "She's about eighteen months now right? She'd probably be walking or something. I think she'd have my hair, but your eyes. Ms. Corcoran would have her singing and dancing now too most likely. But yeah Quinn, I think about her all the time. You?" Quinn wiped her tears away and gave him a watery smile.

"At first I tried not to. I tried to block it out, like it all never happened. But then when I would go to sleep at night, I would see her. I put all my energy into getting back on top at school but every single night, there she was. That day when they put her in my arms, I knew I could never be the mother she deserved, not right now at least." Quinn paused for a minute and turned so that she was facing him. "I had a dream about her the other night. She was a teenager and we were meeting her for the first time. She thanked us for giving her away, to her _mom_, and said that she was happy. Do you really think she's happy Puck? Would she actually thank us, or would she hate us?" Puck watched helplessly as Quinn started crying, the image bringing back memories from when she was pregnant and living with his family, and would cry at the drop of a hat. He hadn't known what to do then any more than he knew what to do now. But he choked back his own tears that threatened to fall and did his best to answer.

"I'm pretty sure she'd thank us Quinn. I mean, 'm not gonna lie, I wanted to keep her so bad. But that's not the life she deserved. I loved that baby girl more than anything, and I loved you for carrying her and bringing her into this world. I think a small part of me always will because that's something that stays with a person, you know? But we were never gonna be able to give her the home she needed, I didn't really get that back then though. And then you came back after the summer acting like nothing had even happened so I didn't even bother. But no, I don't think Beth would hate us for what we did. Parents are supposed to do what's good for their kid right? Giving her up was the best thing. And Ms. Corcoran wanted her, was ready for her. We just weren't."

Quinn sniffed for a moment and then wiped at her cheeks with her sleeve. After a moment, he reached over and awkwardly patted her on the shoulder. She laughed softly and looked up at him.

"Thanks Puck. I've wanted to talk about this stuff for a while but it's not exactly a good conversation to have with my mom or Finn. I just, you were the only one who could actually understand. So thanks." Puck nodded his head, feeling a little drained then and out of words. Just then, his phone started ringing in his pocket, 'Need You Now' playing for the whole park to hear. Quinn laughed beside him and he took it out to check the message. "Rachel," she asked.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to be eating with her family tonight. She was making sure I knew what time to be there." Quinn thought about what he'd said and smiled.

"I'd noticed you guys hanging out more lately but I didn't know you two were that serious." Puck rolled his eyes and shoved his phone back in pocket.

"Yeah well we don't believe our business should be public knowledge." Quinn laughed again.

"That sounds exactly like something she would say." She saw the tiny smile on his face when she said that and it actually made her happy. "You two are good together Puck. I never really got it before, but I do now. She makes you happy, and I think you make her happy too." Puck laughed and nudged her shoulder with a small scoff.

"Whatever, she's a lot of work sometimes but she's always been worth it. And the more time I spend making sure I'm keeping her happy, the less trouble I get into so it works out."

The pair grew silent again, watching the children playing on the slides and swings. It was weird, sitting there together and not arguing or anything. Not quite _nice_ or _comfortable_ yet, but it had the potential to get there. Quinn took a deep breath and stood up. Puck stood as well, waiting for her to start talking again.

"I know that we have a complicated history, a _very_ complicated history, but I still think we could be friends. What do you think Puck?" Puck tried to smile but stupid emotions started getting the best of him again and he really didn't want to start crying in the middle of the fucking park. So he leaned down and placed a chaste kiss to Quinn's tear-stained cheek before nodding his head.

"Sounds good." She smiled up at him when he said that. "Okay, I gotta go but I guess I'll see you at school or whatever. Thanks though, for the talk. It was about time." Quinn nodded in agreement and held her hand out towards him. He took it in his own and held it between them for a few seconds.

"It _was_ time. See you in Glee."

Puck stood there for just a few more minutes after she was gone and ran his hand through his hair. His shoulders didn't feel so heavy anymore. He still loved Beth just as much as when he'd first laid eyes on her, but he knew that she had a family with Shelby Corcoran that loved her too. And one day, if he ever got the chance to meet her again, he'd tell her exactly that.

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><p><strong>an2: so apparently panic attacks make me somewhat productive…that doesn't exactly bode well for me in the long run. Hope you enjoyed this and please review!**

**Meagan (musicconsumes)**


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